Clearwire To VoIP Providers: Get Certified Or, Oops, You Might Get Blocked

from the our-network,-our-rules dept

Clearwire execs adamantly deny the wireless ISP has purposely blocked any outside VoIP services, though some stories make that claim look dubious. The company pleads ignorance, literally -- saying it has a hard time telling the difference between VoIP traffic and a port scanner. So now it says that unless third-party VoIP providers get "certified" by the company, their service might get "inadvertently" cut off on Clearwire's network. The WISP says that it wants to better learn what VoIP services might look like on its network and be better prepared to deal with customer problems. But as it did when Vonage said it was being blocked, something smells fishy. First, Clearwire says it has to restrict VoIP, media streaming and other bandwidth-intensive applications to ensure performance on its network, then it says it can't tell what VoIP looks like on its network, so services might accidentally get blocked -- while it's already signed a deal with Bell Canada to sell VoIP to its customers. It's unclear exactly what is going on here, although two possibilities seem to stand out: maybe Clearwire's network isn't as robust as it would like people to think, or perhaps it's trying to hamper competing VoIP providers. It's a confused take on network neutrality, essentially saying that any service is okay, as long as it's one we've certified.

Clearwire blocking VoIP

I just signed up for Clearwire last Friday. I asked about port blocking and voip. The salesman said that they block some voip because they are going to come out with their own voip service. How true this is I cannot say, but it was a plain answer to my question about port blocking.

Re: Clearwire blocking VoIP

Hi guys,I have signed up for a year contract with Clearwire a week ago (Ireland). Buisness packet was installed as to increase the monthly bandwidth limit allowed. When I tried to use P2P applications as planed to do I have noticed that they struggle to connect to required server if connecting at all. I have rang up tech support guys as the applications which I have signed up business packet for were blocked and was informed the following:Though Terms & License agreement does not state that P2P applications will be blocked such traffic is monitored and blocked as it is considered a high bandwidth usage. I had a detailed discussion on what is "abusive" and what is just a bandwidth usage. As I am technical analyst myself and deal with such policies myself the clear explanation of my problem was passed on to Clearwire technicians as a high priority case. The cust. service rep. informed that no PORTS are blocked on router as such, just a P2P action is disabled. As a workaround for my case would be to be assighned an external static IP address.

My point of this post is: CAN be P2P action considered as abusive traffic usage? If the constant http download would take place, I would consider that to be abusive action as well. As P2P constant usage can effect the other users so the cust. supp. rep. pointed that such thing is stated in License agreement. But I find a conflict between a License agreement and end-user policy. If the 50GB (in my packet) bandwidth limit is supplied does that not mean that I can use anything Until I reach it? So mates what do you think, should this be escalated further. If interested I will paste a tech email reply.

Re: Re: Clearwire blocking VoIP

dude, I have clearwire email me at 1hqpstol@gmail.com I'm trying to see what I can do to either a. break the contract, or b. get this fixxed
I play counter-strike competively and since they started throttling bandwidth my ping to basically any game is just horrible and inconsistant due to their horrible upload limitations :o or just aim me at pstol0wnzj00 on aim :D

P2P Connections

hey guys

i recently sent an email to clearwire expressing my dissappointment with the fact that P2P cannot be used and the fact that they block ports and P2P.i will attach my email for you to look and let me know what you think.

i think we need a large amount of people to up against clearwire with this P2P carry on.i totally agree with anthony - they also told me it was to much internet usage but i fully agree with your comments outlined above

anyway here is my attached email - let me know what you think!

Dear Sir / Madam

I am a current subscriber of the clearwire service.However I must express my
utmost disappointment as to why clearwire who apparently offer a "Full
Broadband Service" to customers at 50 euros per month when other ISP's are
offering the internet at a reduced price, clearwire continues to block
certain ports and also P2P.

For 50 Euros per month i can access sites and thats about it!

So the product is offered as Broadband like any other broadband service and
as such the facilty to access P2P should not be blocked nor anything else
blocked for that matter.

I wish for somebody to investigate this for me and please report back to me
the reason why clearwire continues in this manner and what intentions, if
any are going to be done about it.

For people paying this kind of money a full service with no restrictions
should be supplied, you are an ISP at the end of the day!

vonage vs clearwire

Not only was my Vonage unusable on Clearwire, their tech's that were sent out didn't know their butt's from a hole in the ground. I terminated my service with them due to their inability to provide service when I moved, everyone of their reps lied to me about the quality of service provided.

clearwire

i am having problems with clearwire here lately, because they have not stand by there product.they claim to be fast and instant on the screen. i am having to wait like 40 second for any information to come up for what im looking for. i dont have all day....i am going to cancel my account and go somewhere where i can get help when needed...i am really having problems with clearwire......

Re: ClearWire

Anon.C.,
I totally have the same experience! It was great for all of a month and a bit, then bam, less than 10K/s on anything. I can understand limiting p2p, but everything??? Second, I was assured, in print, of my upload and download, and now I find that it's really the pipe for all carriers in that cell? How can this be legal? That's like saying "you can buy a buspass, but mostly other people will be using it." without actually telling the purchaser the second half of that sentence. It can't be legal.

CLEARWIRE ARE CRIMINALS!

Well i cancelled my clearwire subscription, because of their sh!tty service and download down-throttling. they continued to try and charge me for three months, finally after 3 calls a day for 3 weeks, and every tactic possible, i managed to get them to refund the money thay had wrongly taken from me.

End of story? No.

It is now a year later, and it appears they have given my "debt" (???) to a debt collecting agency.

CLEARWIRE ARE CRIMINALS! NEVER *EVER* DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE!

I have spoken to a number of people who tried cancelling their accounts with them, the same story except they weren't as determined so never got their STOLEN money back from them.

Here in the USA with Clearwire, a HTTP DL will go through, no matter what size, but even the smallest p2p dl won't even work. I get around 125-200kbps on 3 bars on dl speed. P2P? 0kbps-1kbps. I have unlimited bandwidth at 1.4mbps, and 256kbps upload. I wonder why in other countries, especially in Europe, they limit the amount you can dl/ul?

Clearwire blocking ports

I didn't have any problem in receiving calls in VoIP initially. But these days, my incoming calls are blocked. The tech guys in level 2 don't know anything. Luckily, I can disconnect it because I didn't sign up for contract.